16 
B.  Helland-Hansen. 
[No.  15 
are  constant  or  whether  they  are  merely  due  to  cliance.  In  the 
European  branch  of  the  Atlantic  Current  (”The  Gulf  Streani”)  such 
direct  measurements  have  never  been  made  before. 
The  arrows  on  the  chart,  fig’.  1,  show  the  mean  velocities  and 
directions  for  5,  50  and  200  meters’  depth  at  St.  299  and  307,  as 
they  were  observed  in  the  first  half  of  July  1906.  It  is  rather 
remarkable  that  the  resulting’  movement  of  the  upper  layers  at  St. 
299  had  no  northward  trend,  whereas  the  movement  in  the  corre- 
sponding’  depths  farther  seawards  had  a north-easterly  direction. 
It  seems  then,  as  if  the  surface  water  from  the  coast  North  of  Stat 
at  the  time  in  question  was  at  first  moving  straight  westwards, 
and  afterwards  bent  rather  sharply  towards  N.  and  N.E.  At  30 
and  50  meters  below  the  surface  the  movement  at  Storeggen  had 
a direction  more  towards  E.  than  in  any  other  depth;  and  this 
Avater  on  approaching  the  shore  assumed  a direction  still  more  to 
the  East.  The  same  water  apparently  continued  to  floiv  imvards  at 
some  20 — 40  meters’  depth  in  Sulefjord.  We  here  refer  only  to  the 
mean  resulting  movement  Avhich  is  so  far  in  complete  accordance 
Avith  the  distribution  of  temperatures  and  salinities.  In  particulars 
and  at  different  moments  the  conditions  may  be  altogether  different 
in  the  areas  of  the  Coastal  banks  and  in  the  fiords.  Only  at  the 
continental  slope  Avith  its  characteristic  features  is  the  direction  of 
the  current  likely  to  be  comparatively  constant. 
(3).  The  North  Sea. 
Measurements  of  the  currents  Avere  also  made  in  the  North 
Sea:  on  the  Ling  Bank  (St.  332),  Wester  Holla  (St.  333),  and  the 
Great  Fisher  Bank  (St.  330). 
Figures  5 and  6 give  the  curves  of  velocity  and  direction  on 
the  basis  of  the  observations  made  on  the  Ling  Bank  in  the 
middle  of  the  North  Sea  on  the  7th  and  8th  August  1906.  The 
curves  of  velocity  (fig.  5)  show  au  almost  ideal  course  Avith  aatII- 
defined  maxima  at  an  interval  of  six  hours  from  one  another  and 
Avith  corresponding  minima  intervening.  The  curves  indicate  a typical 
tidal  current.  The  same  is  clearly  indicated  by  the  curves  of  direc- 
tion in  fig.  6,  these  curves  appearing  crossAvise. 
